Out of this world - Cling Film Nail Art

I've been a little lax with my nails recently. I think it is a combination of having my polishes upstairs out of the way and getting a new carpet (meaning I am more careful to spill anything). Having said that my nails needed some proper painting so I decided to use the old cling film technique to get this gorgeous effect.

I had planned on this looking a bit more like the world with green patches of land and blue sea but when I put the colours on I thought they looked a bit more space like. I've previously only used one colour in a cling film manicure but I thought I'd try two for a change which I think worked really well.

If you want to know how I did this, listen up. Paint your nails a base colour, I used OPI Eurso Euro. Get two pieces of cling film, crumple them up separately. The pieces don't have to be too big just big enough that they cover your nail when pressed flat. Paint some polish onto your cling film (I used Essie - trophy wife & fair game), dab it on some paper to take the excess off then start pressing it on your nails. Then do this with the other piece until you like the look of it on your nails. This will get messy around your nails so maybe use tape around the edges or you will have some major clean up.

I hope you like this manicure and that you will give it a go! It is super easy and creates a great look. Let me know if you try it!

Strawberry Lemonade Nails - Nail Art

I wanted to get back into nail art so I decided that I would ease myself in gently using a white nail art pen and some gorgeous spring colours. As you can see the nail art I've done is not hard to do, just dots and stripes, but I actually think they look really good.



The colours I used for this were OPI - I Just Can't Cope-acabana and Avon Speed Dry - Strawberry. Both are gorgeous colours seperatly but together they are brilliant and remind me of strawberry lemonade. I'm going to try and get a bit more creative this summer with my nail art and hopefully show you my creations!

Manicure Monday - Naked Nails

I'm currently taking a week and a half off nail polish! It is particularly hard for me as I wear nail polish EVERYDAY. I'm hoping that this time off will make my nails a bit healthier and help to strengthen them. Although I never usually take time off nail polish I wanted to try as I've read about the benefits this can bring, and my nails really need the break!

Applying nail polish regularly and not allowing your nails time to breath can dry them out. This then leads to weak nails that are prone to breaking. Giving them time as well as supplying them with some useful products can improve their condition. I'm using OPI's original Nail Envy which is created to help dry and weakened nails. OPI have now developed their Nail Envy range to include solutions for other common problems such as dry & brittle nails and sensitive & peeling nails.

As well as using special products such as this it is always wise to make sure you are moisturising your hands and nails on a regular basis to keep your nails hydrated. I religiously moisturise my hands when I am off to work and before I go to bed but I am not so good at focusing on my nails. When I do get chance to focus on my nails I use Lush's Lemony Flutter cuticle butter. This is such a thick luxurious butter that sinks in to your cuticles and nails leaving them soft and hydrated.

I'm really looking forward to seeing whether this week off makes a difference to the condition of my nails. When I am in my new house I can't wait to paint my nails loads and loads but still have a few nail polish holidays every so often!

Manicure Monday - Brazilian Orange

Brazil, a gorgeously sunny country that will host the World Cup and the Olympics in the coming years. To commemorate this OPI have brought out a bright selection of colours ready for Summer. I picked up this orange - Where did Suzi's Man-Go - from Look Fantastic with 15% off!

Against my pale hands this beautiful colour is not looking as great as it could, add a little tan and this colour would pop. I do love the pale creamy colour of this orange as it isn't as garish as some oranges you can pick up. Although it is bright it is definitely a wearable colour that applies just as well as every other OPI polish. As with pale colours you have to be careful and apply quite a bit to ensure you get full coverage with no transparent sections.

I picked up another colour from the collection called Amazon-Amazoff which is a lovely teal green. I will try and wear it soon so I can get it up for a Manicure Monday.

Manicure Monday - So Fluffy I'm Gonna Die!

Today I wanted to try out one of my indie polishes by Glam Polish. Glam Polish is an Australian indie nail polish brand that create a host of gorgeous mixes. They came up with a collection inspired by Despicable Me which included this polish called 'So Fluffy I Wanna Die!'

I've applied this polish after two coats of OPI - Alpine Snow, my go to white nail varnish. The polish is basically a pink and yellow glitter which applies lovely. The look of this polish is so pretty, it is like having lots of little sprinkles on your nails.

I love the look of all Glam Polish products and would definitely buy more in the future! Glam Polish can be ordered in the UK from Rainbow Connection.

Nail Art Weekly Project - Week 5

This is the last Nail Art Weekly Project! It's been so much fun creating themed manicures and seeing what everyone else has created. I can't believe it has gone by so quickly! I'm so pleased with the amount of people that have really committed to the project as they've all made it such a success and hopefully they've been inspired!

The last theme is Glitz and Glam! The sparklier the better! As I'd just bought Hey Baby from OPI's Gwen Stefani collection I wanted to incorporate this.

I underestimate how long manicures like this will take me but in the end I'm really pleased with the results. I may as well use the time while I'm young and free to do my nails! I used OPI - It's Frosty Outside for my pointing finger, Orly - Miss Conduct for my middle finger, and then OPI - Hey Baby for the others.

What do you think? Are these glitz and glam enough?

Manicure Monday - Chrome Nails

After a week off from Manicure Monday I am back with a gorgeous new polish I picked up last week! I love new OPI collections. The current collection is by Gwen Stefani. The colours are pretty standard but there is one special polish which is a chrome effect. It is called Push and Shove and it comes with a special base coat called Lay Down The Base.

I was really dubious about putting this polish on as I didn't know how it would look and it states it is only for one night, as a few of the holographic polishes do, and I do not have the time to do my nails again the next day! Having said that I thought I'd try it out! I applied one coat of the special base coat and then two coats of the silver chrome polish. When you apply the chrome polish you have to get it as smooth as you can as this is how it will look when it dries.

The polish clings to your nails which means you have to clear your nails of anything that could show through. My nails are quite ridged so when I applied this, as you can see on the photos, it clung to this and showed them up. Even though this happened I still really do like the polish, its different and would look great on a night out or if you were going somewhere special. I've yet to see how long this polish lasts but I have used Seche Vite on the top (even though it says not to use a top coat) so it should keep for a few days.

Have you tried this? What do you think?

Nail Art Weekly Project - Week 3

This week's theme is Valentines Day! I had planned an extravagant manicure with quite a bit of nail art but I've been super busy and only just got internet back in the house. So I've decided that this Valentines Day I will do something simple.

I used OPI - Got a date to-knight and Alpine snow to create this polka dot manicure. I know it's a bit simple but I think it is cute!

What do you think?

Manicure Monday - Purple glitter gradient

I think I'm addicted to glitter gradients now... After managing to pull off my last one with the shimmery red polish and gold glitter I wanted to try again!

I've used Nails Inc - Holland St Park, Sinful Colors - Frenzy and OPI - Polka.com to create this manicure. Its really simple to do and I think it looks gorgeous.

Have you tried a glitter gradient?

Nail Art Weekly Project - Week 1

The first theme for the Nail Art Weekly Project is a piece of clothing. For this I went rummaging through my wardrobe to find something that I could not only recreate but that would look good on my nails. Here is a sheer black collared sleeveless top I bought from ASDA last year. I thought this would be great as I could recreate the flowers and the beaded effect.

Obviously I had to do a bit of planning... I even painted a swatch stick to make sure it would look good on my nails. Then on Friday night I sat down to create my nail art weekly manicure...

For this I used OPI - Lady in Black and Dare to Wear - Golden Doublet as well as a dotting tool from Avon to do the gold parts. I'm really pleased with how this manicure came out and although it doesn't look exactly like the top it still has the essence of it.

What do you think?

Manicure Monday - Gorgeous Gradient

I think I've fallen in love with this combination. I keep looking at my nails because the base polish with the glitter works so well and they look so glamorous!

For my manicure I've used OPI - Every Month is Oktoberfest, China Glaze - Champagne Kisses and Avon Color Trend - Gold Flecked. To create this manicure I used two coats of Every Month is Oktoberfest which I have fallen in love with. It is a dark sheer red/purple colour which looks so deep and shimmery.

When this is dry I applied a blob of Champagne Kisses at the bottom of the nail then wiped the brush on the bottle to be able to drag the glitter up the nail. Over this glitter I used Gold Flecked to add larger pieces of glitter.

I'm really impressed with my first glitter gradient attempt as the colours work so well together.

Do you like? Will you try this?